Indianapolis, Ind. – Youngstown State sophomore's Ciara Jarrett (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Bobby Grace (Middleburg Heights, Ohio) each earned Women's and Men's Horizon League Track and Field Athlete-of-the-Week honors, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Jarrett won the 200 meter at the Northeast Ohio Quad on Saturday with a time of 25.49 seconds. She was also a member of the winning 4x100 meter relay team (48.06) and took second-place in the 100 meter. Both the 100 and 200 times currently rank second in the League. Grace competed in the shot put, discus and hammer throws at the Northeast Ohio Quad on Satruday. He is currently ranked in the top three in all events in the League with a shot put throw of 15.72 meters, 45.35 meter discus throw and hammer throw of 50.36 meters. Detroit senior Lesley Hanna (Exuma, Bahamas) and Milwaukee sophomore Samia Taylor (Madison, Wis.) received Track Athlete of the Week accolades.
Youngstown State will compete in the Duke Invitational April 8-9.
Quick — can you name the last team to beat the Butler Bulldogs in the regular season?
If you guessed Youngstown State, chances are pretty good you also won your NCAA tournament office bracket contest. Or you need to get out of the basement of your parents’ home more often.
Back on Feb. 3, the Penguins knocked off Butler 62-60 at Beeghly Center. Damian Eargle led YSU with 16 points and nine rebounds. He also had five blocked shots, leading a defensive effort that limited the Bulldogs to just 39.6 percent shooting from the field (23 of 58).
The loss was particularly unButler-like. The Bulldogs had an eight-point lead with four minutes remaining, but YSU went on a 10-0 run to finish the game.
YSU also committed just seven turnovers in that game, and forced 14 by the Bulldogs.
That was huge, according to YSU coach Jerry Slocum, who talked about the Bulldogs on FoxSports Radio’s Game Time Show with Anthony Gargano, Lincoln Kennedy and Jeff Goodman last Saturday.
“They don’t beat themselves. They kind of hang around and wait for you to beat yourself,” Slocum told the radio audience.
“They are so good at sucking the air out of the game. The bottom line is, you’ve got to be able to speed the game up in the halfcourt with ball movement and those kind of things, and then hope [Shelvin] Mack misses some shots,” said Slocum.
Since that game Butler won 14-consecutive games before losing to Connecticut in Monday’s national championship game
During that winning streak, the Bulldogs have been remarkably consistent at the end of games, holding onto slim leads or rallying to claim victory.
“They went to [Shawn] Vanzant at the point [and that] gave them another shooter. More offense,” said Slocum.
“That gave them an extra six, seven points a night. When you’re looking at three-possession games that six or seven points a night is what I feel really made the turnaround.”
By contrast, the Penguins couldn’t build any momentum from that victory, losing four straight games and seven of their last eight to finish the season with a 9-21 record, the eighth time in the last 10 years they’ve lost 20 or more games.
However, Butler’s advancement to the Final Four for the second straight helped YSU — and the Horizon League schools. The league gets about $7 million, with $500,000 given to Butler off the top. (Mainly to pay for things like travel expenses.) The rest gets split 10 ways over the next six years, although the $108,000 figure is misleading, YSU athletic director Ron Strollo said.
“As a league, we sit as athletic directors and try to reinvest that money,” said Strollo, who said much of that money gets earmarked for things like television and Web broadcasts. “Obviously the impact is good for us, but it’s not program-changing.”
Strollo typically budgets for two NCAA games — a Horizon League team has reached the Sweet Sixteen in five of the last nine years — and any extra money gets reinvested into the program. Typically, Strollo said, it’s enough to buy something like new weight equipment.
YSU’s biggest boost has from its visibility in the last few weeks. As the last team to beat Butler, Slocum has made the rounds on national TV and radio and the Penguins were even featured in the first few paragraphs of a recent Wall Street Journal article.
“That’s the kind of stuff that you can’t afford to pay for,” Strollo said. “The key to our business is recruiting and when you’re trying to recruit a kid from Florida or California, it helps that those kids are starting to hear our name.
“It’s not just that we beat them this year, it’s also that we had a chance to get them twice. We played them really well on the road, too. That has a huge impact.”
Vindicator sports writer Joe Scalzo contributed to this report.
Youngstown State men's basketball Head Coach Jerry Slocum will be a featured guest today on SportsCenter at 4:30 p.m. on ESPNews.
Slocum has been a highly-requested guest of the national sports media recently due to the Guins being the last team to defeat Butler (62-60 on Feb. 3 at the Beeghly Center), who is playing in its second straight national championship game.
Last Saturday at the Final Four in Houston, Texas, Slocum was a guest on FoxSports Radio's "Game Time Show' with Anthony Gargano, Lincoln Kennedy and Jeff Goodman.
Additionally last Monday, Slocum appeared on the Zakk and Jack Morning Show, which airs nationally on Fox Sports Radio and is carried in Youngstown on The Sports Animal 1390 WNIO.
The Youngstown State men's tennis team used four singles victories to pick up a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Valparaiso on Sunday morning at the Boardman Tennis Center. It was the Penguins' first regular-season Horizon League win since March 2005.
YSU dropped the doubles point, but rallied by winning four of the six singles contests. Picking up the deciding point was senior Rob Emig who battled back after dropping the first set to VU's Kyle Stump 6-1 and 6-4 in the final two frames.
First-year head coach Mark Klysner was impressed with the way his team earned the final three points of the dual.
"Again we came out extremely flat in our doubles matches today, but we are definitely more comfortable in singles matches which showed again today," Klysner said. "I am very proud of the guys and how they didn't give up today, even when we were down 3-1 in points. It was a huge win for us today and kept our hopes of qualifying for the conference tournament alive. We have a lot of work to do this week before next weekend."
Other winners for the Penguins in singles play were Tariq Ismail at No. 1 with a 6-4, 7-5 win over the Crusders' Jose Gaspar, freshman Max Schmerin at No. 3 over VU's Kevin DeHarrera 6-4, 6-2 and freshman Rodrigo Campos at No. 5 with a straight set 6-4, 6-3 win over Adam Whitmer.
Youngstown State improves to 5-10 and 1-3 while Valpo falls to 5-10 and 0-4.
The Penguins travel to face Butler and Wright State Saturday and Sunday.
The Youngstown State defense showed that it will not back down from the offense this spring, but the offensive group was still able to make some big plays during the first major scrimmage of spring camp on Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.
Head Coach Eric Wolford put the offensive unit in a hole right away as they opened scrimmage with series of plays from their own one-yard line. Allen Jones had nice 26-yard run during the set, btu the defense forced three three-and-out sets.
Coach Wolford then flipped he field and put the squad through a series of red-zone situations giving the ball to the offense 1st-and-10 at the 20-yard line.
After placekicker David Brown could not convert a field-goal try, quarterback Kurt Hess connected with Juilian Harrell on over the shoulder catch in right end zone on first play of next series.
On the next series, Adaris Bellamy had a two-yard scoring run after nice 12-yard run by Jamaine Cook. Allen Jones tacked on a third touchdown scoring on a five-yard run straight up the middle. But the defense bounced back as Justin Austin intercepted a Najee Tyler pass on a second-and-six play to end a possession at two-yard line. Hess then scored on a nifty run from 20 yards out. After looking down field he saw open space against the defense took it in for the score. Later he connected with Harrell again, this time on a two-yard slant in front of good coverage by Grant Mayes. That play was set up following a first down via a pass intererfece penalty. Sophomore cornerback Matt Romero snuffed out another drive with great interception in back of end zone off redshirt freshman quarterback Patrick Angle. Romeo also had two pass breakups during the scrimmage. Senior defensive end Daniel Stewart stripped Torrian Pace of the football from behind on a nice hustle play and the defense recovered. On the next series, Taylor Hill stuffed Pace on third-and-one situation at the 11 forcing a field goal. Altogether, YSU had 10 situations of red zone work. At the midpoint of the scrimmage, Coach Wolford had the defense and offense go through some third-and-short situations near midfield.
On third-down plays, the defense had three stops, but also gave up three first downs.
On fourth down, Bellamy was stopped on fourth and one, but Pace blasted a run up middle for a first down.
After taking over at the 30, the offense moved ball to four but drive stalled and Brown converted a 21-yard field to cap 10-play drive.
A nice highlight was a strong effort by Jones late in the workout. He took a handoff down the left sideline for 65-yard score while breaking about five tackles along the way and outran two defenders in the final 20 yards.
Tyler connected on a good fade route to wide receiver Pat White for 24-yard touchdown capping 65-yard drive as the offense had back-to-back scoring drives The defense forced a second Pace fumble late in the workout as Scott Sentner stripped the ball and Austin had the recovery.
During the two-minute drill, sophomore linebacker Ali Cheaib intercepted Hess on fourth-and-six play from the 15-yard line to end the drive.
The offense's last two-minute drive stalled just past midfield.
YSU returns to practice on Monday at 4 p.m.
Offensive Scoring Summary Hess 20-yard pass to Harrell Bellamy 2-yard run Jones 5-yard run Hess 20-yard run Hess 2-yard pass to Harrell Brown 21-yard field goal Jones 65-yard run Tyler 24-yard pass to White
Upcoming Spring Schedule (All Practices at Stambaugh Stadium) April 4 - Practice | 4 p.m. April 6 - Practice | 4 p.m. April 8 - Practice | 4 p.m. April 9 - Scrimmage | 10 a.m. April 10 - FCA Banquet (Coach Wolford guest speaker) | 6 p.m. April 11 - Practice | 4 p.m. April 12 - Bob Dove Luncheon | Noon April 13 - Practice | 4 p.m. April 15 - Women's Coaching Clinic | 5:30 p.m. April 15 - Practice | 6:30 p.m. April 16 - Spring Game | 12:05 p.m. April 17 - No Stone Unturned Pancake Breakfast at Mt. Carmel May 6 - Football Alumni Reunion - Youngstown Country Club
For Season Ticket or Spring Game information contact the YSU Athletics Ticket Office at (330) 941-1978.
YSU sophomore Adaris Bellamy first saw snow last semester and the Florida native often grabbed his roommates from Arizona and California to have impromptu snowball fights.
Then he went home from Christmas.
“When I came back I got tired of it,” he said.
He spent part of Wednesday’s practice complaining that he couldn’t run drills because his legs were frozen.
Defensive coordinator Rick Kravitz, also a Florida native, spent his whole career coaching in the south until taking a job at Western Michigan a few years ago.
“The first time I ever went in the snow, I almost fell three times,” he said.
He spent part of Wednesday’s practice complaining that his hands were frozen. Oh, and he nearly fell, too.
Finally, at 5:40 p.m., Penguins coach Eric Wolford decided he’d seen enough and ended practice about 40 minutes early. As he walked toward the tunnel near the south end zone, the WATTS — the indoor facility that was originally scheduled to open in late 2010, a date that has now been pushed back to June — stood in plain sight, mocking him.
“That thing’s looking at me right now,” Wolford said, grinning.
After getting terrific weather for his first spring at YSU, Wolford hasn’t been so lucky this year. He was greeted Wednesday with a snow blanket that covered up the yardage lines — sophomore running back Jordan Thompson used his shoe to create boundaries — and had some offensive linemen wearing (gasp!) long sleeves.
The conditions provided the extra mayonnaise for the turkeyburger Wolford’s team has been enduring, weather-wise, over the first five practices.
“Last year we had good weather, so maybe if you have bad weather in the spring, it’ll be a better outcome,” said Wolford, whose team went 3-8 last fall. “It’s part of being in northeast Ohio. You’ve got to play in the elements.”
Bellamy and Kravitz are both from the Tampa/St. Petersburg area — which had a high in the 70s with a thunderstorm warning Wednesday, in case you’re wondering — and the Penguins have 10 Florida natives on the roster. They also have two from California and one each from Arizona, Georgia and Virginia.
“I don’t think too many guys have played in anything like that,” Bellamy said. “Maybe pickup games, but not an actual game or a scrimmage.
“You can’t do what you really want to do. You can’t make the right cut and the right read. Really, it’s all footing and ball control.”
The Penguins spent a lot of time on running plays during the nearly two-hour session — the ones involving 225-pound running back Torrian Pace were particularly fun — and Wolford was disappointed that the Penguins committed so many turnovers, particularly fumbles.
“Those are things we feel like we should be able to control,” he said.
Still, Wolford said the conditions gave the Penguins a taste of December football.
“If we go where we want to go, we’re probably going to have to play in one of these games,” Wolford said. “It’s just good to get in some work in a not-perfect setting and see who responds and who doesn’t.
“We’ve got to find out who can play in weather. Who can throw in it, who can catch it and who can take care of the ball.”
YSU junior tackle Lamar Mady walked into his offensive line meetings on Monday afternoon and was immediately hit with a “ruby red slippers” joke by his position coach, Carmen Bricillo.
Then, when Mady mentioned something about his junior college, Bricillo said, “We’re a long way from Kansas now.”
Mady is 6-foot-4 and weighs 315 pounds, which only seems to make him a big target. Because Mady, you see, is from Kansas. And when you’re the only person from Kansas inside a college football locker room, you better be prepared to hear A LOT of “Wizard of Oz” jokes.
“Oh, I get it all the time,” said Mady, who enrolled at YSU in January after playing two seasons at Butler County Community College. “As long as I’ve been here, I hear at least one every other day, if not every day.
“I just laugh about it. It’s funny.”
Mady played tackle as a college freshman and is filling in at tackle for the Penguins while D.J. Main rehabs a broken foot. But there’s no place like your home position, which, for Mady, is guard. Once Main returns, Mady expects to slide over one spot.
“I like being inside,” he said. “I like the physical contact part of it.
“Right now, we’re a little [thin] on the O-line so I’m just trying to help out as best I can.”
Mady admits the transition to YSU has been bumpy at times. He’s had to adjust to a new position at a new school in a new place. That means a jump in terminology — the plays are longer and the offense more complicated — and in speed. Add in schoolwork and crummy weather and it’s easy to see why he’s had good and bad moments so far.
“At the beginning, it was all very overwhelming,” he said. “I didn’t know how to take it at first and I had to sit myself down and figure it out.
“I was just like, ‘All right, I’m here now. I need to learn how to get everything done.’ The transition has been pretty good so far and it should get better as time goes on.”
Although Kansas is known as a farming state, Mady is no stranger to cities. He grew up in Omaha, Neb., before moving to Kansas’ state capital, Topeka, in sixth grade.
“Kansas is a little more flat and a little dustier [than Ohio],” he said. “But I grew up in more of an urban base, so everything that’s here I’ve seen in Kansas.
“People think Kansas is a wasteland sometimes.”
YSU’s coaches have been impressed with how quickly Mady has adjusted, both on and off the field. For that, you can credit 6 a.m. workouts and trips to Chipotle.
“I’m real tight with the O-linemen; I don’t have any issues with them,” Mady said. “By the time the season comes, we’ll be real good.”
Guys. We just lost to an NAIA team. Granted my cousin and my barber's son both played ball for Walsh, a very nice program ...but should not be enough to beat us. I was a "little" worried ...now I am "quite" worried. I know we are young, but even the experienced people on the mound are not able to get any run support to open up their game. Every time I watch we are "pitching for singles". Our field play has improved greatly in the first half of the season, and I was hoping that game-3 win over WSU would ignite a spark in these guys.
At 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, Youngstown State junior tackle Andrew Radakovich is one of the Penguins’ two biggest players and his family’s fourth-biggest male.
His older brother Adam is 7 feet tall. His other brother, former YSU football/basketball player Brian Radakovich, is 6-7. So is his dad, Robert.
Being that big isn’t a good thing if you’re trying to take a dorm room shower (the nozzle is too low) or squeeze your frame into an airplane seat, but it’s terrific if you want to go to college for free.
Plus, you can eat whatever you want.
“If I didn’t have a high metabolism, I’d probably weigh 500 pounds with how much I eat,” Radakovich said. “My food bills in a month are pretty ridiculous. I feel bad for my parents.”
The Steubenville native just finished his second year as YSU’s starting left tackle and enters this spring as the most experienced lineman on a unit that lost three senior starters: guards Bobby Coates and Eric Rodemoyer and center Justin Rechichar. All three started every game, as did Radakovich.
Radakovich has tried to make sure the younger linemen around him first understand the game mentally.
“When you understand the game mentally, you can play faster and more physical because you don’t have to worry about overthinking everything,” he said.
He’s impressed Penguins coach Eric Wolford with his approach and his performance.
“I like way Radakovich is coming to work every day,” Wolford said. “It seems like he’s taking the next step.”
Wolford is also high on junior college transfers Mark Pratt (center) and Lamar Mady (right tackle). They’ve been working with the first team and Radakovich said they’ve picked up the team’s scheme faster than anyone expected.
“It’s weird, but they fit right in and we didn’t miss a beat,” Radakovich said. “We’re really starting to congeal and get better as a line.”
Congeal?
“Yeah, I’m smart, too,” he said, laughing.
Last year’s starting right tackle, D.J. Main, is still rehabbing a broken foot that caused him to miss the team’s final four games. (Main is also 6-6, but weighs “just” 300 pounds.)
His injury opened up a spot last fall then-freshman Chris Elkins, who should man one of the guard positions.
There are a host of younger players, including former Mooney All-Ohioan Zach Larson, trying to break into the lineup. Wolford thinks several of them might need more time to develop.
“Normally with offensive linemen, it’s a two-year process,” Wolford said. “I’m on those guys all the time.
“If we get our offensive line around here squared away, I think we’ve got a chance to be special,” Wolford said. “I think we all know what we’ve got behind them.”
After two days in helmets and shorts, the Penguins put on the pads for the first time Saturday, which is actually much safer for the linemen, Radakovich said.
“When we just have helmets on, it’s still full go for us,” he said. “It’s just shoulder injuries waiting to happen, so when we get the pads on, we’re happy.
“It just feels good to hit people again. It’s such a big stress reliever. I finally get to put people on their back. That’s my favorite thing to do.”
Drew Dosch Named Horizon League Batter of the Week
Youngstown -- Youngstown State freshman baseball player Drew Dosch has been named the Horizon League Batter of the Week for the period March 21-27, the conference announced on Monday.
Dosch, a freshman from Canal Winchester, Ohio, earned the honor for the first time in his young career.
The Penguins' infielder hit .615 for the week, going 8-for-13 in a three-game series at Wright State. He had hits in all three contests and went a combined 7-for-9 in Saturday's doubleheader. Dosch also drove in three runs, scored once and stole a base.
Dosch has a hit in 12 of his last 14 games and is hitting a team-best .301.
Dosch and the Penguins will be busy with five games this week. They play Walsh at Cene Park on Tuesday, Niagara at Eastwood Field on Wednesday and a three-game series at Le Moyne over the weekend.
YOUNGSTOWN - The problem Stephen Page has had to deal with wouldn't seem like a big deal to most people.
In fact, it might seem like a pleasant problem.
Page, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman for the Youngstown State University Penguins, needed to gain weight if he had plans to become a starter. That meant a lot of eating to increase his weight from 230 pounds to 280.
"Just eating everything I see," Page said after the Penguins concluded a spring practice Friday evening.
Page, a Newton?Falls graduate, was recruited to play on the defensive line, but he was switched to the offensive line about one week into training camp last year. He is now working at right guard with the Penguins' second team.
Page isn't discounting his chances to earn a starting job.
Three linemen graduated from last season's team, but two spots are expected to be filled by junior college transfers Mark Pratt at center and Lamar Mady at right tackle.
"If I can get my weight up, I think I have a possibility of at least getting some playing time," said Page, who wants to weigh 295 by the start of the season. "I've put on a lot of muscle. It's not just all fat. Eating the right way and lifting right and training. It all comes into play."
As a former offensive lineman, Wolford is known for demanding a lot from the big guys up front. While the Penguins need more upgrades on the defensive side of the ball, Wolford isn't about to forget about getting improvement from the offensive line.
"I'm on those guys all the time," Wolford said. "If we get our offensive line squared away around here, I think we have a chance to be special because we all know what we have behind them."
Page was able to practice last season as a redshirt, which gave him an opportunity to see the intensity Wolford puts into his work with the offensive line.
"He's basically a second offensive line coach," Page said. "He'll tell us what we're doing wrong. He knows his stuff."
Sitting out one season is never easy for a redshirt player. They go through high school being quality starter to standing on the sideline in street clothes the next year.
"It was tough because in high school there wasn't a single year when I didn't play," Page said. "It was rough knowing that you were just there to practice. I was still there supporting my team."
Wolford probably has a good idea how the line competition will develop. Andrew Radakovich seems set at left tackle. Pratt and Mady appear to be in good situations. Andy Colegrove could start at left guard after moving inside from tight end, and Chris Elkins has a shot to start at right guard.
Page needs to continue to get bigger and perform well in training camp to get the playing time he wants.
"Page has done a great job of putting weight on," Wolford said. "He's running in there with the second team. He's been a little inconsistent. Sometimes he looks good, and sometimes he locks up a little bit. Normally with offensive linemen it's a two-year process. This is his first spring. We have some time to keep developing him."
That's why Page will continue in his attempt to add more weight.
"The biggest thing is size," Page said. "The stronger you are, the better you are. Technique comes into a lot of it. That's why we're out here right now preparing for next season. Hopefully I can make my way into the starting lineup by the fall."
Well the Softball team had a taste of reality today ...lost both sides of a double-header to Loyola. On a brighter note, the Guin hard-ballers split a pair with Wright State.
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